Peyton Manning faces off against the New England Patriots this weekend for what could possibly be the last time in his glorious career. The Manning-Tom Brady has been fantastic, so this game is a definite can’t miss. Here’s the rest of Week 9:
San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins: Miami won last week by capitalizing on every turnover that Blake Bortles committed. In fact, the Jaguars looked better on offense than the Dolphins. The Chargers will not make those mistakes on offense. It’s going to be a long day for Dolphins fans.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals don’t lose at home, and the Jaguars don’t win anywhere. You do the math. Bortles threw two pick-sixes against the Dolphins, so there’s no telling what he’ll do against a good defense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cleveland Browns: The Browns have looked really bad recently, which is especially sad because they played the Jaguars and Raiders. This game against Bucs rounds out three in a row against the worst three teams in the league. This game could be close, but the Browns should be able to pull it out. If not expect chants of “Johnny” from the home crowd.
Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings: If Colt McCoy was started I’d be a lot more likely to say that the Redskins could pull out this victory. Instead, the Redskins are playing Robert Griffin III (at least until he inevitably breaks something). Let’s see who can suck less, Griffin or Teddy Bridgewater. Probably Teddy because he’s at home.
Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Texans: The Eagles are a good team, and the Texans still have not made the jump past average. It’s that simple. Ryan Fitzpatrick is still not ready to be able to win against good teams like the Eagles. Nick Foles and company will have no problem getting it done.
New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs: Michael Vick is starting for the Jets, but that’s only a slight improvement over Geno Smith. Smith throws three interceptions a game, but Vick fumbles three times a game. Pick your poison. The Chiefs are a good team at home, so they should have no problem taking down the struggling Jets.
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys lost at home to the Redskins, and Tony Romo got knocked out of the game with a blow to his bad back. Now the Cardinals are coming to town, and they are much better than the Redskins. Here’s the big test for Dallas—can they bounce back from an embarrassing loss to beat a good team?
St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers: The Rams have had their fair share of struggles this season, but they always seem to do best against the 49ers. The Rams barely lost in their first matchup, so they should be able to keep this one close as well. As long as Colin Kaepernick does not screw up, the Niners should be able to pull out the win at home.
Denver Broncos at New England Patriots: The Patriots don’t usually lose at home, but this game should be different. The Broncos are an amazing team, and if they can stop Rob Gronkowski they can stop the Patriots. The Broncos defense will be the key factor in this game. If they can stop Gronk, the Broncos win. If Gronk runs wild like he did last week, the Patriots will pull of the upset.
Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks: The Raiders still haven’t won a game, and I would be absolutely shocked if they pulled off an upset over the Seahawks in Seattle. Derek Carr is still not doing well, but he’s been able to compete the past few weeks. The Raiders may be able to prevent themselves from getting blow out with a touchdown in garbage time.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers: This is the second best rivalry game this weekend behind Peyton versus the Patriots. This rivalry is fueled by the teams’ sheer hatred of each other. The Steelers should be able to pull this one out at home, especially if Ben Roethlisberger continues to play like he has been recently. The Ravens will have a hard time overcoming the crowd in this game.
Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants: The Colts are good, but the Giants are motivated. Tom Coughlin is a great pump-up artist, and the Giants have really rallied around him for support since the injury to Victor Cruz. The Giants should be able to pull off the upset, especially at home.